Testing forums a no-go

After hostile start, schools chief axes Common Core town halls

By Alysia Santo

Published 10:45 pm, Monday, October 14, 2013

Photo: Paul Buckowski

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State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. honors teachers from around New York State who have become National Board-Certified teachers Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, during an event at Schenectady High School in Schenectady, N.Y. (Paul Buckowski / Times Union archive) less

State Education Commissioner John King, Jr. honors teachers from around New York State who have become National Board-Certified teachers Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, during an event at Schenectady High School in ... more

Photo: Paul Buckowski

Testing forums a no-go

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After facing a loud and frustrated crowd last week at a forum on new school standards, state education Commissioner John King decided to "suspend" other town hall meetings across the state because the first was "co-opted by special interests."

The raucous town hall meeting took place Thursday in a packed auditorium at Spackenkill High School in Poughkeepsie, where audience members confronted King, sometimes offering angry comments or booing him. Video from the event was posted on YouTube.

An audience member shouted that King's children go to private Montessori schools, and King responded that those schools also have Common Core standards, a controversial new curriculum standard.

On Friday, the day after the event, the remaining four dates were canceled. King explained in a statement that "disruptions caused by the special interests have deprived parents of the opportunity to listen, ask questions and offer comments...Essentially, dialogue has been denied."

These events were sponsored by the New York State Parent Teacher Association to provide opportunities to comment and ask questions directly to King about the newly implemented curriculum, known as Common Core, a more stringent set of standards for public education that was implemented last year. The standards have led to an outcry among some parents and teachers, who say they place too much emphasis on high-pressure tests.

Other large meetings about Common Core are happening across the state. Earlier this month, an estimated 2,500 people gathered in Buffalo and 1,000 in Utica calling for reforms to Common Core standards. A discussion about the state's new curriculum is scheduled at Albany High School on Oct. 22. The Albany school board passed a resolution recently to announce their concern about an "overreliance and misuse of standardized testing," board member Dan Egan said.

The new requirements have been adopted by many states to raise the education expectations for every grade and include tougher testing.

State officials warned that harder tests would mean a drop in scores. Last year, 65 percent of the state's public school students scored proficient in math and 55 percent scored proficient in English. After the more rigorous state English and math tests this spring, just 30 percent passed, according to the state Education Department.

With so many failing, Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, D-Albany, a former Albany school board president, said she worries about the "self-esteem of kids." Her two teens attend Albany High School, which scored poorly, she said, and Fahy called King's decision to cancel the public forums about his new policies "rather shocking."

Fahy said King's statement is confusing. "I was left wondering 'Who are these special interests?' As best I could tell, they were parents."

The New York State United Teachers is calling for a three-year moratorium on using the test results to hold students back or evaluate teachers based on the scores. The teachers union spokesman, Carl Korn, said many schools weren't provided instruction materials before the test was administered, and that the high volume of standardized tests is "narrowing the curriculum at the expense of arts, music, and other subjects."

State Sen. Cecilia Tkaczyk, D-Duanesburg, said she planned to attend the forum at Shenendehowa after many constituents contacted her with concerns about Common Core.

"I want us to raise the standards, but this test doesn't make sense," Tkaczyk said. "It's disappointing. I think a dialogue with the commissioner is sorely needed."